In a recent blog posting I noted that election scammers are primarily interested in your money and your personal information. Last night’s announcement by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Chris Wray that foreign actors have been sending threatening emails to voters have given publicity to concerns that many citizens have had on foreign interference in our elections.
National security officials blame Russia and Iran for the emails.
Early press reports have indicated that the emails have been primarily sent to voters in Florida. However, KIRO TV News reported that at least one threatening email has been received by one or more Washington State citizen.
The emails reportedly spoofed the email address of the right-wing group the Proud Boys.
According to the KIRO report, part of the verbiage of the email was as follows:
"You
are currently registered as a Democrat and we know this because we have gained
access into the entire voting infrastructures."
"You
will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you."
As with most scammer emails and phone calls this threatening email is designed to scare the recipient and to intimidate them into taking the email author’s desired action. It also is designed to shake the recipient’s faith in the election system in the United States.
The claim that a group has “… gained access into the entire voting infrastructures…” is a bold assertion that clearly is intended to frighten people. KIRO points out that registered voter lists are a public record but how you voted in any election is not public. At least one intelligence official has told the New York Times that the data that was obtained by Russia and Iran was “…mostly public…” The public information could have been combined with other personal information obtained on the dark web to obtain email addresses for example.
Washington State Secretary of State Kim Wyman has said that the state’s election system has not been hacked.
The email is a classic case of the “social engineering” that
scammers use to gain cooperation from victims.
The email spoofs the Proud Boys email address. While the Proud Boys is not a government agency, it has received publicity over the summer with the George Floyd protests. At first glance a reader of the email would assume that the Proud Boys are potentially on the rampage. Without further investigation or analysis, the email can sow distrust and fear pointed toward the Proud Boys.
The claim that the email authors have information about who you are and how you vote is designed to develop credibility and authority in addition to shaking your faith in the privacy of your information. The scammer hopes you will believe in his/her authority and act in the way that they want you to.
National Security officials have emphasized that foreign actors have tried to interfere in our election process to cause chaos for several years. National Security officials have claimed that no votes have been manipulated so far. The threatening emails point out however, how disruptive foreign actors can be with public information and information available on the dark web.
If you receive an email like the one announced by the DNI and the FBI take a few moments to think before acting. Checkout the email for any spelling mistakes or any differences to addresses or web links with authentic addresses and links. Consider the tone of the email. Is it designed to get you emotional? If it is, take some time before acting. Ask a trusted family member or friend about the email. Contact a someone from the county or state elections office to verify any information claimed by the email.
If you receive a threatening email like this, report it to
Washington State Secretary of State:
Elections- (800) 448-4881
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center:
And don’t forget to VOTE!
CBS News:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-emails-proud-boys-vote-trump-linked-overseas-servers/
The Seattle Times:
KIRO TV:
Associated Press:
Washington State Secretary
of State:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/office/news-releases.aspx#/news/1424
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